For more than forty years, the Ormiston community has brought together passionate people and organisations committed to ensuring young people and families have opportunities to thrive.
The Ormiston Trust network brings together four founding bodies: Ormiston Families, Ormiston Academies Trust, Gateway Learning Community and Birmingham Ormiston Academy Group. Together, and alongside our wider partners, we support schools, young people, families and communities across England.
We focus on four outcomes: growth, connection, citizenship, and robust, sustainable organisations.
Ormiston Trust works across five connected areas; sponsorship, futures, parenting, social action and enrichment
The Ormiston community shares a commitment to helping young people and families access the opportunities, support and confidence they need to thrive.
Our new strategy builds on this shared purpose, with a renewed focus on life skills, belonging and positive contribution.
By working together, sharing learning and supporting innovation, we aim to make a lasting difference for young people, families and communities.
An effective and collaborative network of partners that innovate and impacts on the sector at scale
Our strategy is rooted in the strength of the Ormiston community and the wider partnerships we build beyond it. We support organisations that Ormiston Trust helped to found, while also working with other schools, charities, funders and sector partners who share our commitment to young people and families. Across this work, we focus on sustainable change, place-based approaches and clear evidence of impact. As a funder, sponsor and convener, we aim to bring people together, invest in promising practice and add value through partnership development, fundraising, business planning, evaluation and shared learning. Please see our three strategic impact priorities below
We will help strengthen the Ormiston network through sponsorship, shared learning, core funding and targeted project support.
We will invest in innovative programmes within and beyond the Ormiston network that respond to local needs and advance our outcomes.
We will support significant regional and national partnerships and programmes where there is potential for wider replication, policy influence and systemic impact.
Ormiston Trust works across five connected areas: sponsorship, futures, parenting, social action and enrichment — each helping young people and families thrive in a different way.
Sponsorship supports strong academy trusts; our Futures work links learning to real-world pathways; parenting programmes strengthen family, school and community ties; youth social action puts young people in the lead on issues that matter to them; and enrichment champions a broad education beyond the classroom.
Together these areas reflect a single commitment: opportunity, belonging, participation and lasting impact for young people and families across England.
We sit above and alongside the boards of our multi-academy trusts, offering proportionate oversight, constructive challenge and support without running them day to day.
Our curriculum innovation work connects knowledge-rich learning with future pathways, employers and real-world opportunities to build pupils' aspiration and career awareness.
Our parenting and family engagement work tests evidence-led models that strengthen the relationships between families, schools and communities.
Our youth social action work helps young people build confidence, agency and responsibility by tackling the issues that matter in their schools and neighbourhoods.
Our enrichment work champions meaningful opportunities beyond the core curriculum, supporting "enrichment for all" across schools and partners.
Young people are active participants in our work — not just beneficiaries of it.
We involve young people directly in our governance, grant-making, programme design and evaluation, so their experiences shape our decisions and priorities.
Through the Youth Advisory Council and wider opportunities, they contribute to projects, campaigns, resources and events across the Trust.
In turn, we help them build confidence, leadership, communication and decision-making skills through training, mentoring and meaningful roles.
Directly funded 8 student-led projects in England via the YAC's Make a Difference Round 6 (MAD6) programme.
Over 50 young people have been part of our Youth Advisory Council or focus groups.
To date, Young Advisors have reviewed over 30 individual grant applications from our schools and partners.
So far, we have hosted 3 young advisors as part of work experience or summer internship opportunities.
Ormiston Trust is led by a committed staff team and Board of Trustees with deep experience across education, youth opportunity, family support, governance and grant-making.
Our trustees provide strategic oversight, challenge and long-term stewardship, keeping the Trust clear about its purpose, values and impact. Our staff bring that strategy to life day to day — building relationships, convening partners, managing grants and learning from evidence to support young people and families across England.
The Ormiston story began with the memory of Fiona Ormiston Murray, whose love of children inspired her family to create a lasting legacy following her tragic death in 1968.
Beginning with the first projects in 1980, that legacy grew into organisations that have gone on to support hundreds of thousands of children, young people and families across England, including Ormiston Families, Ormiston Academies Trust, Gateway Learning Community and Birmingham Ormiston Academy Group.
For more than fifty years, Peter Murray has been central to this journey. Through his vision, leadership and unwavering commitment, he has helped shape the Ormiston network into a community of organisations dedicated to creating better opportunities for young people and families.
Today, the Ormiston Trust builds on that legacy by bringing the network together, investing in innovation, supporting partnerships and sharing learning to help even more young people and families thrive.
Beyond our own network, we work with schools, funders and like-minded organisations to extend our reach, test new approaches and share learning.
Through our youth social action, enrichment and innovation programmes, we support place-based projects that help young people build confidence, leadership, teamwork and agency. We have worked with national partners including The National Lottery Community Fund, BBC Children in Need and the #iwill Fund, bringing together funding, expertise and reach to strengthen opportunities for young people and families.
We are always open to new conversations with organisations that share our commitment to young people and families.
Whether you're a young person seeking support, a parent looking for resources, or an organisation interested in partnership—we're here for you.
Catch up on the latest stories from our programmes, community achievements, and national initiatives.
Jun 26, 2026
How The Studio Liverpool and Liverpool Life Sciences UTC are helping young people connect learning with future careers
Read ArticleJun 25, 2026
Ormiston Trust announces Lin Hinnigan as new Chair of Trustees from 1 July 2026.
Read ArticleJun 25, 2026
Bruce joins Ormiston Families following a successful leadership career spanning the charity, membership and public sectors.
Read Article
